The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-29

a vessel that had held tho accursed thing. she
| kept her especial table service under lock and
| kew, and had two spoons perforated.
With the fine breeding of their class, her Wis
itors did not comment py word or look upon her
movements. Looking from one be-cappsd face
! to another as they chirruDed and cooed above
the blue cloth, / wondered If they were as con-
tented they appeared to be; if they had learned
| not 10 care for what the world calls happiness.
| Spinsterbood, even when wealth goes with 1t, as
| in the of two of the group is void OF inter-
| est to the young,-a sandy plain where the only
variations are degrees of aridness AS TOT the
one povert stricken old maid. l. surveyed ner
with awed pity. Aged. penniless. alone. how
could she eat the dinner of charity with evident
relish, twittering the while of her inflniteslm al
personal interests and scraps of insipid gosslpf
The four windows of the dining room were
open, the air flowed in freely and splashes and
rivuets of sunshine fell between the catalpa
leaves on the oaken floor A muiatto OUTER In
a white apron waited watchfully upon us, a
small black boy at his mistresss left hand wav-
ing longhandled bunch of peacock feathers
over the table to keep off the flies. When he
nodded. as he did every five minutes or 80, Miss
Betsey tweaked his without the break OF a
commas worth in her talk She pronounced
upon each theme brought forward in a strldent
contralto. more like mans than woman's
voice Politics, farming, theology, cookery.
births, deaths and weddings, eeneaioeies and
family traditions-each was taken up by her as
it came along shaken free of dust and mold
and the thin places held up to the light than cast
aside for the next.
They say Mr. Jeemes Cooke has turned out
again" said Miss Be,sey Joness thin tones, as
she helped herself with thumb and forefuger
piece of warm pound cake
Turned out o. WHAT" queried Miss Crump.
They say he's looking for another wife" The
whilom companion seldom asserted anything
without bracing it with they say Her opin-
ions were not strong enough to alone.
"Humph" Miss Crump's ''humph" had the
weight and rush of a bombshell. Il always
heard that when a man buried his wife ne buried
his senses with her All the brains Jeemes
Cooke ever had could be- packed into mighty
small hole. He never had enough to last over
night. Who does he suppose would take him as
gracious gift A poor measly, no-count, yea
nav shoati'
There's nothing bal about him Aunt Betsey
ready with her drop OF heavenly charity.
He has kind heart and treated poor Amandy
we'll as long sne lived"
He hasn't the spirit nor energy to be wicked!
Kind He's too lazy to be anything else He
wouldn't slap at n guat on his s'posin'
the gnat could bore through his thick hide. Don't
talk to me bout Jeemes Cooke. Haven't our
fences jiued for forty years2 He turn out! He
hasn't the courage nor tie eumption TO pop the
parable. | always thought Mandy Wilson must
have asked him. An she certniy worked her
self 10 death tryin' to make up for his shacklin'
ways But there, now! He amt worth wastin'
breath upon--dusting her hands fguratively of
an Improbable matter. If you've finished your
dinner you'd better take your maps. Betsey
Jones can't live without hern, an know Betsey
Winston sets heap o. store by bern. can't
sleep by daylight-but just make yourselves at
home Betsey WaddelPs of the wakeful
sort too, amt your
Again Aunt Betsey TOOK the possible sting out
of tho hostess speech.
II like to catch forty winks in my chair when
I've had particularly nice dinner. so, reckon
I'll enjoy them to day"
Miss Betsey Jones disappeared into the next
room for a minute. returned with her night-cap
Nobody had ever seen her exchange the
head gear she wore by day for that which bound
down by night her second-best front-which, by
the way, was brown-a legacy from a dead-and-
gone brunette Hopkins Miss Betsey Winston
frankly uncovered her gray pate. removing both
cap and false 'front.' and tied up her head in
kerchief Then they mounted with circumspec-
tion and unshod feet upon the feather bed with
it's quilt of many colors, and Law down, perfectly
straight. their backs to one another. Aunt Bersey
crossed her prunella buskins on cricket, folded
her pretty hands on her bonn bazine lap. and closed
her eyes. In FIVE minutes all were apparently
fast asleep
Miss Betsey Crump seized ner key basket and
strobe off to the dining room. had found an
odd volume of THE Spectator" on the corner
shelf ana read contentedly until the silence of
my companions and the hummng and humping
of fat hornet against an uppear sash became
unbearable. TIptoeing across the beeswaxed
floor, holding my breath lest the sleepers should
stir, ran like kildeer reaching the blessed
open air. Miss Crumps garden was full of
thrifty vegetables and the dear old-fashioned
fowers-pinks, lavender, sweet Williams ber-
gamot, purple shade, blue bottles. llacs-what
visions the partial catalogue conjures up for
those who are happy to remember the
Virginia flower borders of the days that no
more! Cinnamon, damask and white roses were
in prodig bloom: arbors of umliflora, the leaves
Of honey sucke--growing and blooming for
their lives-spanned the walks the tender grapes
on the trellises gave forth a goodly smell had
DO play-fellows. but 1t was mid-May weather.
birds bees and butterflies roamed and basked
with me in fragrance and sunlight-and was
twelve years old
knew the grounds well. and the accommoda-
tions offered by certain SPRAYING apple tree
for a climber VINO loved to read even better than
to loiter lazily in garden alleys It OBJ
lection to a country girl that it shaded the pig
Misc Y1ir hat
the gossips sad-than some Of her human
height ors. A stream of living water ran through
the inclosure, which Uttered down with
clean straw every day. There were. perhaps,
twenty sturdy swine in the section overlooked
by my reading-room, all stretched out In digest
i've sloth after the noon gorge. The tree was
hung thick with apples no bigger than green silk
buttons with disproportionate blossom ends. l
peited the doing animals with these for few
minutes, then. discouraged by their imperturoa-
bf1ty. reopened my book and settled down sat
isfedy in curvlng crotch, my back against the
trunk.
Exercise" when l heard voices beneath me.
Miss Betsey Crump, key basket arm, sun
bonnet on the back of her neck was scanning
the pigs. Mr.. James Cooke, planter and widow
er, was staring sideways at her Both leaned on
the top rail of the sty
lie was a tall. loose jointed, slab-sided man of
sixty and still wore wisp of rusty Grape on his
left arm and dusty band on his hat. His jaw
dropped when he SILENT and came up if
stiff hinges when he spoke He had stub
nose a narrow forehead and lantern jaws: his
hair was like Hhens nest grass" in color ana dry
ness, and his yellow green eyes had an nncom
Portable trick of rolling up under the upper lids
in the most unexpected manner. as if a cord had
slipped from pulley wheel below. He had in
herlted a large plantation and many negroes
from his father; his family good; his DISPOSE
ton amiable, and his wits all at loose ends,
when he at his best
Miss Betssy dscoursed volubly upon the
points of her famous Berkshires and he seemed
to hearken, chewing the end of red bandana
handkerchief he had taken from his hat. Pres
emily she turned so abruptly upon him that the
Pupils of his lack lustre orbs disappeared into
covert
Maybe you don't care for the new breeds o.
piCsW said she sus piciously.
''Weli. j don't takei so much intrust in EN-
mought in SOME other subiecks." rejoined
Jeemes, Stating the bandana in the far
Of his mouth ard dealing intermittent bites on it
for punctuation points; Il find it mighty hard
for TO fix my intelleck most things, now a.
days-seems if"
l.l,1A .I1r, nnc1rr and rlrhfr